


The Lies of Life

by monroesherlock



Category: Amazing Spider-Man (2012), Marvel Avengers Movies Universe, Spider-Man (Movieverse), The Avengers (2012)
Genre: Dysfunctional Family, Family Drama, M/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-11-05
Updated: 2012-11-04
Packaged: 2017-11-18 00:18:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 8,651
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/554803
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/monroesherlock/pseuds/monroesherlock
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Peter attempts attempts to hide his newly acquired powers from his parents. Too bad secrets have consequences.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Part 1

Peter Parker had never lied to his parents. Okay, so that in itself was a lie. Sure, he'd told the occasional fib. He was a teenager. Teenagers lied all the time. It wasn't like he was special or anything. It was harmless really. This? This definitely wasn't harmless.

"Peter? Are you in there?" Crap! Steve! Peter stared at the door. Tony, he could distract. All he had to do was point out something shiny. Steve? He had no chance.

"Yeah Pops, I'm here. Hold on." He called. Peter looked around his room.

"Peter? Are you okay? You sound funny. What's going on in there?"

"Nothing! Just give me a second!" Okay, so he'd somehow found his way onto the ceiling. He could find his way down. It couldn't be that hard. It wasn't like whatever power had suddenly come over him would just wear off. At least he prayed it wouldn't.

"Peter, I mean it. Open this door right now or I will." Peter groaned. He could practically hear his father tapping his foot outside.

"Alright, alright! Here I come." No time to figure out how to climb down. He was going to have to jump. He took a deep breath and pushed off from the ceiling hoping the fall wouldn't hurt too bad. "Ooof!" Yeah. It did hurt.

"Peter! What was that?!"

"Coming..." The teen wheezed. He jumped up and ran to throw open the door.

"Peter, what have we told you about locking doors around here? And what was all that noise?" Steve quirked a blonde eyebrow as his eyes roved over the room.

"Just working on a little experiment. You know how that goes." Peter laughed awkwardly. Steve looked unconvinced. "I just got a little absorbed in my work. That's all. It's nothing, really."

"Don't hurt yourself, Peter. Dummy only has one fire extinguisher and you know how often Tony needs it." Steve reminded him.

"Right. I promise I'll be extra safe. You don't have to worry."

"And no locked doors."

"You know, you could have just had JARVIS open the door." Peter pointed out. As soon as he said it, he wanted to slap himself. Sure, let one of his fathers waltz right in and see him hanging to the ceiling.

"I know. I would only do that in case of an emergency. I trust you. Don't make me regret that." Of course he had to pull the 'I trust you' card. Peter felt his stomach drop even more. God, he hated lying. 

"I know, Pop. I won't." Peter smiled awkwardly and he knew that it probably looked fake. 

Steve didn't look entirely convinced but didn't protest. "I just wanted to tell you that we're all heading to the entertainment room. It's movie night."  
"Right! I forgot. You don't mind if I skip out on this one do you?" 

Steve frowned slightly. Peter never missed movie night. "Are you sure? This isn't like you, Peter. I'm serious, is something wrong?" 

"No. Nothing's wrong. There are just some things I want to tie up. If I get done early, I'll totally come and hang out with you guys." Peter promised. He wanted to slap himself for lying.

"You're starting to sound like Tony." Steve said exasperatedly but finally conceded. Peter heaved a sigh of relief. 

"Well, like father like son they say." Peter joked lightly. "Seriously dad, it's okay."

"Alright." Steve turned to leave and Peter slowly felt his anxiety leaving his body. This was way too hard.

If he could barely hide hanging from the ceiling, how would he hide the webs?


	2. Chapter 2

Peter had kept his head down and attempted to move through high school without being noticed too much. His adoption hadn't been very public and he kept his old family name in all his school records.  
Everyone knew him as Peter 'Parker' instead of 'Rogers-Stark'. It was easier that way, he told his parents. No special treatment and no bullying.  
At least, that was what he'd thought. It was just proof that reality didn't always match up with theory.  
So far Peter had managed to avoid his most frequent tormentor. That was when he suddenly felt a sort of tingling. Bad vibes. Very bad vibes. Something was definitely wrong-  
"Yo Parker!" Peter felt himself freeze. Bad vibes indeed.  
"Dear Lord, if you do in fact exist, let me go just one day without getting my ass kicked. I would appreciate it so very much-" Peter tried to pray before Flash Thompson snatched him up by the back of his collar and slammed him up against the lockers.  
"How's my favorite science nerd doing today?" Flash mocked.  
"Great. Listen Flash, my life already sucks right now. Is there any way we can skip today's daily beating and instead pick up tomorrow? You could you know, double up." Peter proposed jokingly.  
"Sorry Parker but I got a quota to meet. I made a promise to myself that we would have a little meeting everyday this year. If I break that promise now, I'll have failed. You understand of course." Flash laughed. "But since you're having such a bad day, I'll give you an option. We can handle things here or we can go to the bathroom. I'm flexible. Choose wisely, Parker."  
Peter sat there for a moment and actually weighed his options. He really didn't feel like wringing out wet hair for the rest of the day.  
"Hallway's fine." Flash smirked and dropped him to the ground.  
"Bad choice Parker. This is going to hurt."  
Peter saw the fist flying towards him and just…reacted. Before he knew what had really happened. He had Flash Thompson up against the lockers.  
You could hear a pen drop in the hallway. Before anyone could react-  
"Mr. Parker? Would you like to explain why you have Mr. Thompson pinned to a locker?" He heard a nasally voice ask. Peter felt his shoulders slump. Three years of being wailed on and the first time he decides to retaliate, he's the one who gets caught.  
"Um…I'm not entirely sure." He responded honestly.  
"Office Mr. Parker. Office."  
"Yes Sir."  
—  
"A fellow at your home said your parents were out. He suggested a Bruce Banner to pick you up." Peter pursed his lips. His dads weren't home? That either meant his parents were busy or they were /busy/. Peter shuddered at both thoughts.  
"Yeah, that's cool. How long am I suspended for?"  
"Two days. And I want to have a conference with your parents. This just isn't like you Peter. You're normally so…focused."  
'Yeah, focused on getting my ass kicked.' Peter rolled his eyes. "I'm sure they'll want to talk to you as well. So you called Bruce?"  
"Dr. Banner is on his way."  
"Thanks." God. Why'd it have to be Bruce? He'd give him that slightly disapproving look that would dig right under Peter's skin. Why couldn't it be Clint? Clint would have found the entire situation hilarious. He would have made Peter laugh.  
He wouldn't be laughing with Bruce. This was turning out to be the worst week of his life. First, he was bitten by a radioactive spider. Next thing he knew, he was sticking to walls and shooting webs. Now? Now he was getting in fights and getting suspended. Oh, what would his parents say?  
"Pete?" Peter was pulled from his musings by the sound of his uncles voice.  
"Hey Uncle Bruce."  
"You got into a fight?" Well, let's get straight to the point.  
"It wasn't really a fight. Flash hassled me, I reacted. No one got hurt. It's all good." Peter shrugged dismissively.  
"Peter, you know if someone is bothering you-"  
"Yeah, I know."  
"I'm gonna have to call-"  
"I know Bruce. I know. Can we just, get out of here?" Peter asked exasperatedly.  
"Yeah. Sorry about that. It's just, you aren't normally like this. You're always so-"  
"Focused?" Peter mocked. Bruce quirked an eyebrow but said nothing.  
"C'mom kiddo. Let's get you home."  
—  
"So what's really wrong, Peter?" Bruce asked once they were in the car.  
"What makes you think something's wrong?"  
"Peter, I'm being serious here. If someone's been messing with you-"  
"I have all of you guys backing me up. I got it. I've heard the spiel before. Really. I just have a lot on my mind right now/" Peter sighed heavily.  
"A lot that you can't tell your parents?" Bruce pushes.  
"Yeah, kind of."  
"Can you tell me?" Peter looked speculatively at the man he considered his uncle.  
"What do you know about spider bites?"


	3. Chapter 3

"You were bitten by a spider at the museum and you didn't think to say anything? You could have had an allergic reaction. What would your parents have said?" Bruce chastised. "I will admit, the bite site is interesting but you're not showing any strange signs. Any symptoms causing you to worry?"

"Um…" Peter contemplated that. On one hand, if he told Bruce what was going on, he may just get some answers. On the other hand, his parents would flip. He could hear the panic now. While they'd never willingly hand him over to S.H.I.E.L.D, he couldn't help but picture himself in a cage. "No, no other symptoms." Peter lies easily. It didn't hurt nearly as much as lying to his parents.

"Are you sure. You can trust me Peter. Right now, it's doctor-patient confidentiality. Unless it's detrimental to your health, nothing you say will ever have to leave this room." Bruce promised him. "I remember being a teenager. If you've you know, been with someone-"

"Oh my god please tell me we are not about to have this conversation." Peter moaned feeling humiliated.

"I know. Horribly awkward but I have to ask. Is that what this is really about? Is that why you wanted me to run your blood because everything turned up okay-"

"Uncle Bruce!"

"I'm just being sure. I don't want anything to happen to you."

"I know but please just… stop." Peter sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I came because I got bitten by that stupid spider and I've been having a terrible week ever since. That's it. As much as I hate to admit it, I'm still a virgin so no danger there. Really." Peter assured him.

"Good. Just making sure. There's nothing wrong with being a virgin anyway. It's just on of those things." Bruce laughs easily. "You stir way too easily, Peter. Way too much like Steve."

"Well he is my father. You know how that goes. Typically children take after the people who raise them. It's just a thing, you know?" Peter smirked. Okay, so maybe Banner picking him up hadn't been the worst possibility. It could have been Phil.

"Right, and the getting into fights?"

"That's a little bit of both of them." Peter laughed. "Thanks Uncle Bruce. I'm not really as worried now." Peter still hated himself for lying. What if Banner really could help him? The webs, the sticking to walls? It was weird. Maybe he did need help. 'And maybe I'd end up on a dissecting table at S.H.I.E.LD headquarters.' For a moment, he couldn't help but feel silly. His parents would never allow that to happen. They'd always promised to love him no matter what. Peter had never feared being open before.  
Why were things so different now? 'Because deep down inside you know you're still the hand-me-down son that neither Tony nor Steve really wanted.' Peter squeezed his eyes shut.

"You okay kiddo? You look kind of tense all of the sudden."

"Yeah, I'm fine. I just got a little distracted is all. I should probably head home. Dad and Pops will worry if I'm out too long, even if it is with you. Thanks for your help uncle Bruce."

"I can drive you home if you want. I was supposed to take you there in the first place."   
"Nah it's cool. I can walk from here and I kind of need the air to clear my head. Thanks for letting me take up lab time though."

"Anytime Pete. I'll be back at the tower tonight if you have any more questions."  
"I'll remember that."  
—  
Peter tried not to walk too fast. He wanted to stave off the interrogation for as long as possible. No doubt his parents had found out about the fight by some wild Avenger voodoo magic. They always knew about his day before he even fully knew himself.  
Peter suddenly got that sinking feeling in his stomach again. Bad vibes. Very bad vibes. It was like Flash all over again. He looked left and right but saw nothing. Still, he pulled his jacket tighter and sped up his pace.  
That was when he heard the glass breaking. Peter swung around to see two masked men running from the jewelry store just a few blocks away from the tower. Maybe it was because he was still secretly on an adrenaline high from his run in with Flash Thompson or maybe it was because his parents were superheroes. That seemed to give him a ridiculous sense of right and wrong. Either way, he took off after them like a bullet, running faster than he ever had. Somewhere in his mind, he knew what he was doing was stupid and he'd probably end up getting himself hurt but rationality just wasn't going to win out.

"Hey stop!" He shouted as loud and as tough as he could. One of them men whirled around, probably expecting a police officer or anyone larger than Peter. Then, the jerk laughed. He actually laughed.

"Whoa kid, you might wanna go back home to momma before you get hurt. You ain't even worth the bullet." The man laughed.  
"Shut up and let's get outta here! The kid probably already called the cops." The other thug griped. Peter was frozen. What could he do? He certainly couldn't fight them and Bruce was back at the lab (not that he wanted Hulk running around either). He didn't stand a chance on his own.

"You still standing there, punk? You really do want me to send you home to momma in a casket don't you." the thug leveled his gun and once again, Peter felt himself react.  
Next thing he knows, he's standing in an alleyway with two crooks webbed to a brick wall.  
"I really gotta stop doing that." He said to himself. But the webs were…holding. They weren't able to escape. He'd done something good.  
"Hey, let us down!"  
"Nope, I gotta run home to momma." And Peter took off. No need to press his luck.


	4. Chapter 4

"Peter, where have you been?!"

"Well hello to you to Pops. My day was alright." Peter rolled his eyes and sidestepped his father on his way into the penthouse.

"Really? Cause that's now what we hear." Tony was sitting on the couch. "Apparently you got into a little scuffle today. I would even dare to call it a skirmish." He chuckled.

"Tony, this isn't funny. We aren't condoning this sort of behavior." Steve sniped.

"Of course not. Pete just gets his first call home in what? Sixteen years. He was well overdue. I won't even go into how many calls I got home." Tony ignored Steve's glare and just chuckled.

"Regardless of what Tony says, this isn't funny, Peter." Steve chastised.

"I know, Pops-"

"Do you? I don't think so. We were out trying to save lives when we get a message from Bruce saying he's picking you up early from school because you got suspended. You! Why you?" Steve demanded.

"Flash was messing with me like always-"

"Whoa, whoa, what? Always?" Tony stopped him. Peter face palmed. He hadn't meant to let that little bit of information slip. "Someone's been messing with you and you haven't said anything. Why are just now hearing about this." Great, now Tony was standing.

"Dad, it's nothing-"

"No it's not nothing. You're a Stark and no one messes with a Stark. We'll go up there tomorrow and make him regret it-"

"No! God no! That'll just make things worse! People already stay away from me, I don't want full frontal social rejection. Really, I don't." Peter plead.

"People avoid you? Peter, how long has this been going on? Is this why you were having those anxiety attacks-"

"Pops! No! And those weren't anxiety attacks! I just don't make friends easily. You know that." Peter gripped his chair tight. So there was absolutely no way he was telling them about the spider bite or the robbery, not if they freaked out about something this small.

"I don't care. We're still calling. I'll go up there if I have to." Tony snarked. "Like to see your principle's face when Tony freaking Stark comes through the door."

"Please don't. I really don't want Tony freaking Stark to show up at my school." Peter's head hit the counter top.

"Language Peter." Steve admonished. "Tony's right. If you are being bullied and no one's stepped in, it's time for a parental intervention. We don't want to see you getting hurt. Not now, not ever." Steve assured him.

"I know you mean well but this just isn't the way to do it. I'm not a little kid anymore, you can't fight my battles for me all the time. I have to sort this out on my own." Peter said.

"It's okay to ask for help, Peter." Tony said.

"I really don't think you're the best one to relay that message, Dad. I've heard enough horror stories about you refusing help and almost getting yourself killed." Peter laughed without humor.

"That's different." Tony said easily.

"How so?" Peter snapped back.

"You're our son."

—  
Peter hadn't fought much after that. It was agreed. His fathers would speak to his principle to see what was going on. His protests had been ignored and he'd been sent to his room. Apparently he was still in trouble. He buried his head in the pale blue blankets covering his bed and sighed. This was shaping up to be just a horrible week.  
'And it's still not over…' Peter mentally groaned. He was stuck. Tony and Steve had always somewhat babied him. It was like they thought he'd trip on the air and die. Peter knew he wasn't the strongest but he was by no means weak either. 'Yeah, I showed those guys. And Flash.' He suddenly thought. Peter was right. He hadn't just held his own, he'd won. He looked down at the bite. Maybe this was exactly what he needed. Maybe it was time to prove himself.

Somewhere, the rational side of his brain was screaming at him to see reason and stop the madness. Peter wasn't hearing it.  
He'd talked to his parents about joining the Avengers. They'd shut him down immediately saying there was no way they were going to let him get hurt.  
Now, now he had a power of his own. He could fight too. Nevertheless, he was going to need a little help.  
—  
"And you need this why?" Natasha stared Peter down as she handed him the bolts of red and blue fabric.

"Just a little project I'm working on." Peter replied cryptically.

Natasha's eyebrows rose and she nodded. "Do you want to tell me what this project is?"

"No." Natasha pursed her lips and backed off. She had never been one to ask too many questions. Whatever other people did, that was their business.

"Aunt Tasha?" Peter asked suddenly.

"Yes?"

"Why did you decide to join the Avengers?"

"Because it's my job. I was given orders and I followed them. Why do you ask?" Natasha asked.

"I-I need your help."

"Yes, Tony informed me of your problems in school. Is there something you'd like me to take care of?"

"What? No! No, don't kill any of my classmates. That'll just make things worse for me! No, I need help with something else." Peter said.

"And what would that be?"

"Promise me that no matter what, you won't tell anyone." Peter said in a rush. He knew Black Widow was a mistress of secrets. She wouldn't sell him out.

"You know I won't." She sighed. Peter took a deep breath and then everything came out like vomit. Natasha listened intently and asked the occasional question. When Peter finished, they sat there in silence while she thought.

"You want to be a hero." It wasn't a question but a statement of fact.

"Not like you guys. Not yet at least. I've seen the training you have to go through to do what you do and I know I couldn't handle going on the big missions without it. I wanna start small you know. Just be the friendly neighborhood hero." Peter explained. "I want to do something that means something. I wanna stop being invisible."  
Natasha's face softened for a moment before falling back to her calm collected mask.

"Peter, you need training and gear-"

"And you'll help me won't you? I can just tell Pops and Dad that I'm studying."

"You want me to lie to my team and help you become a vigilante?" Natasha asked blankly.

"No. It's not lying, really. I will be studying, just not school work." Peter shrugged. "You don't have to help me, I can do it alone."

"You'll killed on the first day." Natasha sighed. "Fine. We'll make you a suit. Tony would be better for this, you know."

"Do you really see him helping me out with this?" Peter rolled his eyes.

"No. Steve and Tony don't want this for you."

"It's not about what they want. It's about what I want." Peter said. Natasha nodded.

"If you're sure. Just know, it's a dark world, Peter. These neighborhoods aren't so friendly. You may not like what you find."


	5. Chapter 5

Peter hit the mat and gasped for breath. He'd been training with Natasha for hours and was gradually getting more tired. She'd taken him to the ground with ease each time, no matter how hard Peter had tried to fight.

"I told you I wouldn't be gentle. Criminals will not have mercy on you, therefore, neither will I. I'm going to make you strong." Natasha crossed her arms and watched him  
struggle to get to his feet. "You need to eat more protein. You're body is weak. You can barely take a hit."

"Always has been. What can I say, I'm a nerd. I have gotten stronger though. Maybe it was the bite. Who knows what else it's done to me." Peter supposed.

"Possible. For now, we end this session. I may accidentally kill you if we continue. I have something I want to show you. I believe you'll like it." Natasha gestured for him to  
follow.

"What is it? Why can't you just tell me?" Peter asked in a rush. "You really need to learn the value of patience. Take notes from Steve. That, he can definitely teach you." She replied.

"That wasn't an answer." Peter rolled his eyes. Leave it to Natasha to say everything and nothing all at once.

"Did you honestly expect one?"

"No. Feels nice to ask though. You aren't normally so talkative." Peter shrugged and continued to follow. Natasha took him into one of the many back rooms in the tower.  
Peter froze when he saw what lay inside. "Is that-"

"Exactly like your drawing. I like the red and blue together. It's not as dramatic as either of your parents. It's unique." Natasha commented.

"And my parents have no idea you did this?" Peter asked in awe.

"If I don't want them to know, they won't know. I have my own connections outside of Tony Stark." Natasha replied easily. "It should be nice and easy for you to move around in. We'll work on your web-work some more and then we'll take it out for a trial run."

"Why not tonight?"

"You'd be killed within the first hour. You still need to work on climbing walls and ceilings without getting stuck. It could either save or cost you your life. Don't base  
everything on your luck from last time. They were inexperienced criminals. Most likely he expected you to run. He would not have shot you." Natasha sighed. "Peter, I want to ask you something. As your godmother, not as your teacher."

Peter gulped at her tone. She wasn't going to back out of their agreement was she? Natasha had never backed down before. "What?"

"Are you sure about this? Once you start, there is no turning back. You'll make enemies, powerful enemies. They could target you and the ones you love. In case you haven't noticed, we have a lot of crazies running around now and days. This isn't just something you can slack on. It requires your all, your complete dedication. The life of a super hero is not the life of a lover. You won't have time for a woman in your life. Or a man for that matter-"

"Aunt Tasha!"

"Covering all avenues. You are the one with two fathers. Either way, that person would be in near constant danger. They would never be entirely safe to live their lives. Why do you think your parents adopted you as quietly as possible? People know who they are. They didn't want you to be targeted." Natasha sighed. "Do you understand that? You're without a doubt submitting to a life of social exile. You will always have the avengers, yes, but there will come a time when you want more than us."

"I have everything I want. I don't need anyone else to make me happy." Peter stared at his new suit. "I know what I'm getting into. Seen it before." Natasha nodded. She knew Peter was anything but rash and foolish. Peter had been serious even as a child. He had seem what his fathers had to endure. He would not take the responsibility lightly.

"I believe you. You'll do well. Now go home. Steve and Tony should be out tonight so get some practice in."

"Yeah, I will. Thanks for everything Tasha."

"You won't be thanking me when we're done."  
—  
Peter sat in his bedroom. He was bored, beyond bored. He'd done his homework, finished everything early and now he was bored. Natasha had been right, apparently there had been an Avengers meeting forcing Tony and Steve to leave their son home alone.

Peter sighed and got up to go to the kitchen, no need going hungry.

"Jarvis? Can you order pizza?" Peter asked.

"/Of course. Your usual?/" the AI inquired.

"Yeah, that'll be great. Thanks." Peter sat down on one of the bar stools in the kitchen. It was times like this that he really wished he had friends. The penthouse could be so lonely when his parents weren't home.

He'd grown up friends with the Avengers, they were his family. Outsiders just had never appealed to him.  
A life of social exile? He was already living that life. At least now he had something he could do with it.


	6. Chapter 6

Peter was not quite sure how he'd ended up in this predicament. Okay, so maybe he was sure. He'd been bored out of his mind when he decided to finally practice like Natasha told him to. About halfway through, he found himself once again stuck to the ceiling.

"Okay, not that bad. Could be a lot worse. I could be on the empire state building…or something else…" Peter told himself. Sure, the drop was a heck of a lot farther than in his room but if he aimed for the couch and actually hit it, he wouldn't be hurt nearly as bad.

"/Might I suggest waiting for further assistance?/"JARVIS chimed in sounding actually rather amused.

"And get caught? I'd never be allowed to do anything anymore!" Peter groaned. Okay, he could get out of this. He just had to focus and he'd be fine. It wasn't like things could get any worse.

That was probably the exact moment the universe decided to ruin his life.

"Pete? We're home!"

"Crap!" Peter hissed. His fathers were home.

"Peter? You here?"

"It's not curfew time yet. He might be hanging out somewhere. You know, with friends. Teenagers do that from time to time." Tony shrugged and sat down on the couch. "He's fine."

"If you're sure. One minute late and we're going after him." Tony rolled his eyes and agreed.

"Lighten up Steve, everything's okay. In case you haven't noticed, Peter's actually a pretty boring kid. He won't get into any trouble. C'mon, sit with me. We haven't had any alone time all day." Tony patted the seat next to him. Steve grinned and sat down next to his husband.

"You're right, I just worry about him. He's sixteen now. Sixteen! I can't believe it." Steve sighed and rested his head on Tony's shoulder.

"He's gonna be alright." Tony promised him. Then he smirked. "Hey Steve, guess what I'm thinking."

"We're not having sex on the table our son eats at. That's just gross." Steve laughed.

"We've done it before, you weren't so opposed before." Tony kissed the skin beneath his ear gently. "C'mon, Pete probably won't be home for hours, we've got time to kill…"

'Please no! Please no! Please just please no! I don't deserve this.' Peter thought frantically. This couldn't be happening to him. Sure, he'd walked in on his parents…getting frisky before but it wasn't like he enjoyed it! It was gross. 'Focus Peter. Focus or you're gonna see some things you never wanted to. You've got to focus!' Peter did his best to steady his breathing. Oh god, he could hear Steve moaning. He had to get out and fast.

It was just crawling. He wasn't really stuck, he couldn't be stuck. All he had to do was keep moving. It was all in his head. He just had to move. He took a deep breath and slowly crawled to the edge of the ceiling and down the wall. He fell a little on the way down but it wasn't like his parents were in a position to notice anything.  
—  
"You've been practicing." Natasha observed.

"Yeah, I learned that I just need err…the right motivation and I'm fine. You know how that goes." Peter rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. "So you think I can go out soon?"

"I'll consider it. For now, we resume your exercises." Natasha took up her ready stance on the mat. "Come at me."  
—  
"Mr. Parker!" Peter turned to see his principle running towards him. The man had never spoken two words to Peter before.

"Yes Mr. Wilson? What's wrong?"

"We need to speak. It's urgent." Peter's eyebrows pulled together. 

"I haven't done anything. I just got back from being suspended-"

"Dear boy, come now, you aren't in trouble. As a matter of fact, we're purging that little blemish from your record and Flash is being handled accordingly. It has come to my attention that he's been giving you a rather rough time. Really, we should step into my office."

Peter was so confused. A few days ago the principle had looked at him with a certain amount of disdain. "Alright, I'll follow you."

The principle led Peter through the halls to his office and even held the door open for him. Peter sat down awkwardly and waited to be told what he was in trouble for.  
"Now, Mr. Parker, I was completely unaware of you tentative situation." The principle said cryptically. "Had I known, I wouldn't have let such a prominent member of our society go unprotected." Now Peter was even more confused.

"What does that mean? I have no idea what you're talking about." Peter just shook his head. "I'm a nobody."

"Right right! Keeping the cover. I wondered why you're father wanted you to have a public school education."

"Wait, what? You know about my dad?" Peter asked in shock.

"Yes, Mr. Stark called to inform me that you were being bullied. I honestly had no idea."

'Liar.' Peter snarked in his head.

"-and I strive to make sure it never happens again. We'll take good care of you Mr. Parker-"

"You didn't take good care of me when I was just Peter? Why is this any different?" Peter's eyes narrowed.

Mr. Wilson looked a little green around the gills. "I strive to make sure every student is treated properly-"

"Flash has used me and every other kid as a punching bag everyday this year. You suddenly find out that my dad is a billionaire and now you wanna start caring. You're sick!" Peter jumped out of his seat.

"Now Mr. Parker."

"Stay away from me. If my dad were to hear about this-"

"I don't think that's necessary. As I said, Flash has been effectively neutralized. He won't be messing with anyone ever again. That, I swear." Mr. Wilson stammered. "No need to involve Mr. Stark. I'm sure he's a very busy man."

"Too busy for his own son?" Now Peter was just having fun watching the older man squirm.

"Of course not! I'm sure he's never too busy for you-"

"I'd like to think not."

The older man looked near tears.

Peter wondered when he'd started taking after Tony.


	7. Chapter 7

"Are you sure about this?" Peter asked for the millionth time. He was standing with Natasha on the top of an old apartment complex downtown.

"Do you want to go home? I understand if you do." Natasha sighed. "This is your first time in the costume."

"And I like it. Really I do. It breathes. You wouldn't think it would but it does." Peter rambled nervously. This was a longer drop than his bedroom or his entertainment room.

"I wouldn't have brought you here if I didn't think you could handle it. I know you can. Just breathe." Natasha pushed. "All you have to do is follow your training."  
Peter nodded and looked over the edge of the building.

"And if I mess up?"

"You die. It's an occupational hazard."

Peter shot her an annoyed look. "Thanks Aunt Tasha. That was really encouraging." He stepped back a few steps. "Okay, I'm really going to do it this time."

"I'm watching." Peter broke into a sprint and right when he reached the edge of the building, he jumped…  
—  
Two months later-

"You should have seen it! This guy pulls the tiniest knife ever and I was just like 'do I even need to take you down?' And he just got on his knees on the ground! It was classic!"

Natasha listen closely as her god son regaled her with stories from the night's adventures. "Your dad would be proud." She remarked quietly.

Peter fell silent for a few moments. "You know I can't tell them. I'd be disowned."

"Steve and Tony would never disown you. They love you. I think they'll be more upset that you lied to them for the better part of two months. That's what's going to hurt." Natasha tried to explain.

"You don't get it. They think I'm a china doll. If I step wrong they're right there with a thermometer and an ice pack."

"I think the fact that you were bitten by a radioactive arachnid might change that." Natasha reminded him.

"Please, I'd end up in a bubble for the rest of my life. No way. I'll tell them when I'm dead." Peter said steadfastly. "Speaking of my parents, if I don't get home soon, I'll be breaking curfew again."

"And you wonder why they worry." Natasha just shook her head. "Go home Peter. You had a rough night. And put some ice on that bruise."  
—  
Peter knew he was late when he rode the elevator up to the penthouse. No doubt Steve had stayed up frantically to make sure he was okay. Peter groaned. He could hear a lecture coming. Maybe this time, Steve would actually ground him.

The doors dinged open and Peter swung his backpack over his shoulder. Better to brace now.

"Peter? Peter is that you?!"

"Steve, chill, he's home and he's alive. We didn't have to send Clint after him."

"Hey guys." Peter called awkwardly. "Sorry I'm late, I got a little hung up at the library. I'm just going to head up to my room and think about what I've done." Peter tried to zoom past his parents only to find himself picked up and suddenly deposited onto the couch.

"I called the library, Peter. You weren't there. You're lying to us." Steve said gravely. Peter could see the disappointment in his eyes. "You've been late nearly every day this week and three days last week. You have a curfew for a reason."

"I know and it won't happen again-"

"Where were you Peter? Is it a girl? Is that what this is about?" Tony demanded.

"No! There is no girl, I've just been busy-"

"You'd better be wearing a condom!"

"Oh my god Dad no! Just no! I'm not having sex, I swear! I've just been…doing some studying." Peter shrugged.

"Studying? That's what you're going with? Really?" Tony raised his eyebrows. "You need to work on your excuses."

"Really! Aunt Tasha-"

"Natasha? What does she have to do with all of this?" peter almost smacked himself. Why didn't he just get his mask out and go prancing around his house.

"She's been teaching me some things." He replied cryptically.

"What kinds of things?"

"You know how I've wanted to join SHEILD-"

"Please tell me that Natasha hasn't been encouraging you. We said no Peter. No means no! Why won't you just let it go?!"

"She's been trying to talk me out of it." Peter said suddenly. He didn't need Natasha getting yelled at as well. "She wants me to be safe and she said that the two of you wouldn't approve." Peter wondered if he'd ever get bad at BSing his parents.

"Is that why she's been strange around us? You know, stranger than usual." Steve asked to no one in particular.

"Peter, you can't join SHEILD. You don't have the training. And no, we're not enrolling you." Steve ran a nervous hand through his sandy blonde hair. This was not how he'd imagined this conversation would turn out. "I know you want to help but the best thing you can do is study hard and finish school. We'll talk about future plans later."

"But Pops-"

"No buts. We don't need any more crazies running around. Have you seen that spider-freak? See, that's what happens. Peter, not just anyone can go out and fight crime. That kid is gonna get himself killed. It's only a matter of time." Tony cut in.

"Then maybe you should recruit him. Maybe he can be a good hero." Peter snapped sarcastically. "And he's not a freak."

"Please tell me you're not a spider fan. I can't stand that guy." Tony groaned. "He's just a fad, you know who the real heroes are."

Peter felt his cheeks getting ward from anger. He was a hero too! Just because he didn't fight aliens and demigods, but he protected the average person. So he wasn't an /Avenger/? That didn't mean he wasn't a hero. Still, it wasn't like his parents needed to know that.

Peter just nodded and turned to walk away. He wasn't winning this argument.

"Peter you have to understand-"

"I get it Pops, I get it."

Good to know he wasn't a hero.


	8. Chapter 8

"Peter?" Natasha reached over a turned on her bedside lamp. Why was Peter calling her at midnight? He should have been home by then. "What are you even doing up this late, everyone else has gone to bed."

"Hey Aunt Tasha, how are you?" Peter's voice sounded faint.

"Where are you Peter? You only call me on patrol when you're in trouble." Natasha sighed.

"I'm in a basement. Well, it was a basement but it's kind of caved in now so I'd say that that it's more of a hole in the ground. I think it's all about your interpretation about what a basement really is. Some could say that all a basement is is a hole in the ground. So yes, I believe I'm in a basement." Peter rambled nervously. "Tasha…I think I'm in trouble."

"Peter, what's going on, what happened? Tell me where you are!" Natasha jumped out of her bed and started gathering her gear. She'd have to change out of her nightdress and into her suit.

"Um…I don't know. I can't remember. I think I hit my head when I fell. Tasha, I'm bleeding and I can't move." Peter groaned in pain. "I need help."

"Peter, I need you to stay awake and figure out where you are. Are you using your cell?"

"Yeah. This is my cell."

"We can track you-"

"No! No 'we', just you. They can't find me like this Tasha. They'll kill me. I can practically see the disappointment on Pops' faces. It'd be like kicking a puppy."

"If I leave you there to die, they'll try to kill me and I really don't like fighting with my colleagues. It typically doesn't end well for them." Natasha sniped.

"That's not what Clint says."

"Clint's an idiot. I have to tell them Peter. This isn't about you keeping a secret anymore. This is about you staying alive." Natasha moved quickly through Avengers tower. She would need to call in all the troops. "Keep with me Peter. Keep talking." She commanded.

"What do you want me to talk about?" Peter's voice was getting faint and she could hear him groaning in pain. He wasn't going to last much longer. She had to find her way to him.

"Anything. Tell me about school." She had made it to Bruce's floor. They would need strength to dig Peter out. She rapped three times on the door and walked away. If he didn't know what to do, Clint would.

"Tasha, I really don't think that you-"

"I already woke up Bruce and Clint. Even if I could, things have already been set in motion. I'm on my way now, they'll know what to do."

"Kay. I'll still be here." Peter laughed brokenly.

"Just stay on the line. I'm coming."  
—  
"Nat woke you up and you woke all of us up because of it. Tell me darlin', are you high?" Clint rubbed his eyes blearily.

"I figured she wouldn't wake me up for nothing. Something's gotta be wrong." Bruce yawned loudly.

"Hey, shut up. Pete's asleep." Tony griped. "And while you're at it, get the hell out. It's obvious Natasha isn't here."

"Our fair lady does not take action and not follow through. Something must be amiss." Thor chimed in.

"Fair lady, ha." Clint snorted.

"Tony, be nice. You're being louder than them." Steve muttered. "But he is right, Natasha isn't here and we all need-"

Clint's phone buzzed. "Oh hey, now she texts me." His eyes widened as he read the words. "Steve, Pete's in his room right?"

"Yes. He's asleep."

"Really? Natasha seems to be under the impression that he's buried under an apartment complex. She says we need to hurry and dig him out."

Both Tony and Steve's eyes widened. Steve broke into a sprint and raced to check Peter's room.

"He's gone! Tony, he's gone!"

"Come on, tell Natasha we're on our way."  
—  
Peter's head hurt. It probably had to do with him getting knocked over the head with a pipe. Yeah, he figured that was probably it. He tried again to move the beam that had fallen on his leg but just like before, it wouldn't budge. So much for enhanced strength.  
"Peter? Are you still there?" Natasha's voice came over the line.

"Yeah…" Peter gurgled.

"You were talking about that girl, Gwen. Keep telling me about her. She sounds nice." Natasha said quietly. "I'm almost to you."

"Natasha, I hit my head, I'm bleeding." Peter mumbled. "My head hurts."

"Stay awake."

Peter nodded to himself. He was willing to wait. It wasn't as if he had any choice. 

"Peter! Peter where are you!?" It took him a moment to realize that her voice wasn't coming through the phone.

"I'm here." He whispered.

"Peter!" That wasn't Natasha's voice.

'Crap.' Peter thought. That was Steve. She really had called them.

"I'm picking up a heat signature. It's strongest here."

"Thor, Hulk, be careful. We don't want to crush him." Natasha commanded.

"You know, any more than he's been crushed."

"Shut up Clint!" He heard Tony shout. Peter closed his eyes as he felt a piece of particularly large debris lift off his body.

"I do not see the child! I merely see the young spiderling we have all heard so much about!" Thor's booming voice called. Peter winced at the noise. He already had a headache, he didn't need it to get worse.

'Mask' Peter suddenly remembered. They couldn't see his face. He could still escape with some dignity.

"Spiderman?! Natasha, I thought we were looking for Peter!" Tony yelled.

"Peter…Peter is that you?" Peter could hear Steve's voice close to him. Peter felt his mask slowly slip from his face.

"Hey Pops, sorry I broke curfew again." Peter croaked back. No point in hiding it now.


	9. Chapter 9

Part 9  
"So you didn't think it was a good idea to tell us that our son has been out gallivanting through the city at night? That made sense in your head?!" Tony shouted.

"Don't raise your voice at me. I am not a child." Natasha snapped. "I promised Peter that I would keep his secret as long as I trained him. I had hoped to keep him safe."

"Safe? He's anything but safe! My son is in a hospital bed because of you! If you had just told us-"

"Tony stop shouting. This is doing nothing to help Peter. We can't change the past." Steve sighed deeply. "I will admit that some bad choices were definitely made-"

"You're damn right bad choices were made-"

"That being said, we can't let Natasha take sole blame for this. I'm more concerned with the fact that Peter felt he couldn't come and talk to us." Steve couldn't believe that Peter had lied to them. The fact that he'd felt more comfortable going to Natasha was downright hurtful.

"The bug bite." Bruce muttered.

"What?"

"The day I picked Peter up from school, I ran some tests upon his request-"

"You ran tests on our son without talking to us first?! What the heck were you thinking!? Why would you do something so stupid-"

"Tony stop. Let Bruce talk."

"Yes, I ran some test. Peter said he'd been bitten by a spider at the museum and he was worried about the ill effects that could follow. I examined him and everything came back normal. There was no need to call you in. At least…everything seemed normal. I should go reexamine the data." Bruce seemed to be talking more to himself than to the rest of the group. Clint placed a gentle hand on his shoulder.

"That's not one your experiments down there, Bruce. That's Peter. Steve and Tony's son. You should have told them what was happening to their son."

"It didn't seem serious."

"He's still a minor."

"I do not understand. How did our young Peter come to be the Spiderman?" Thor inquired.

"Peter says he was bitten by experimental spider. Who knows what that bite did to his body's chemistry." Black Widow stated.

"I don't care. I don't care about spiders and body chemistry. I care about my son and his safety. I care about the fact that he was almost killed tonight." Tony growled. 

"This shouldn't have happened."

"Well it did. There's nothing we can do unless you want to go invent a time machine and no, that was not an invitation to so." Steve pinched the bridge of his nose. "We should go be with our son." Steve reached down took Tony's hand in his own.  
—  
Peter felt as if a house had been dropped on him. Then again, something of the sort had. "Oh crap Tasha's gonna kill me." He groaned.

"It's not Natasha you need to worry about."

Peter cracked an eye open and groaned. There was no talking his way out of this one. Both of his fathers were there and watching him.

"Pete? Are you feeling okay? You were beat up pretty bad when they brought you in." Steve patted down his hair.

"You deserved worse! What were you thinking going out on your own and fighting crime! Peter, you know better!" Tony shouted.

"Tony stop, we aren't yelling. We're just going to be here for him." Steve snapped.

"In case you haven't noticed, our son was almost killed tonight! An apartment complex fell on him. He could have died Steve! Think about all of the times he missed curfew and came home limping or with a bruise. He got those out there fighting!"

"Actually, a few of those bruises were from Flash. That guy really doesn't like me." Peter joked lightly. He could see Tony bristling.

"That boy is still bothering you. I thought we handled that. I'll make a note to go back up to your school." Steve said thoughtfully.

"Why don't you use your powers on him? Why don't you just do that since it seems that we've all succumbed to madness!" Tony cried. "When did it become okay for our son to suddenly develop powers and not tell us about it? When did this become okay with you?!"

"It's not okay with me! I am upset about this, Tony but Peter is hurt. We can deal with the power situation when he's healed. For now, I just want to know he's safe." Steve said quietly. Peter had started dozing in and out of consciousness again. Tony immediately deflated and flopped down beside his husband.

"This wasn't supposed to happen, Steve. He wasn't supposed to go into this life. Why…"

"His fathers are heroes. He just wants to do his part. He was given a gift and now he wants to do something with it. We should be proud that he went this route. It could've been much worse." Steve touched his arm. "I'm actually really proud of him. It could've been so much worse."

Tony knew he was right. "I wouldn't call being bitten by a radioactive spider a gift but you are right, it could have been worse." Tony conceded.

"Natasha was just doing what she thought was right. I know it hurts to believe that she was but it's the truth. She would never intentionally let Peter get hurt. We get hurt in this job all the time even with the best training." Steve sighed and squeezed Tony's hand. "We'll handle discipline when he's up again…and we'll handle his position with the Avengers."  
—  
"Well, being confined to bed rest ain't all bad kid. Could be a heck of a lot worse. Want me to paint your toenails." Clint laughed from the foot of Peter's bed. "Just wait, once you're up again, the real grounding begins!"

"Thanks Uncle Clint. Really, that's great. Fantastic." Peter rolled his eyes at the archer.

"It's okay, we all had a rough time starting out. You're just getting your feet wet. I fell off a skyscraper once. The Hulk caught me before I hit the ground but it still hurt. All that matters is that you keep getting back up."

"Clint, stop poisoning Peter's mind." Bruce was suddenly behind him.

"I'm not! I'm giving him valuable advice."

"Don't listen to him Pete, he's a bad influence. I should know." Bruce winked at him. Peter just sighed. At least all wasn't lost. His parents were mad. He'd expected that. But in their own strange way, they were sort of proud of him. His whole family was.

Yeah, he could live that.


End file.
